A dog looks out of its cage in the shelter for stray dogs Red Pine in Moscow, Russia, 13 January 2018.

EPA/YURI KOCHETKOV

The Russian government has reportedly been pressuring FIFA World Cup host cities to rid their streets of stray dogs by any means necessary, prompting cities to poison the animals in the thousands ahead of next month’s tournament, according to media reports and a Change.org petition.

Nearly two million people have signed the petition, which was started by animal rights activist Yekaterina Dmitriyeva after she discovered nearly $2 million worth of government tenders set up to resolve the issue of stray animals.

The Telegraph reported that dogs and cats have been turning up dead with poison darts attached to their bodies ever since Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko directed cities to resolve the stray animal problem in December.

According to the Telegraph, the city of Sochi contracted the services of pest control firm Basya Services to “capture” some 3,500 stray animals.

In 2014, the director of Basya Services told the Associated Press that his company had been contracted to “catch and dispose” of stray dogs prior to the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Stray dogs roam the grounds of the Olympic Park on Day 4 of the 2014 Winter Olympics on February 11, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.

Joe Scarnici/Getty Images

Companies who win animal control contracts are paid per animal, which incentivizes them to capture or kill as many as possible, the Moscow Times reported.

Some companies will then contract people who enjoy killing stray dogs for sport, known as “dog hunters,” according to a separate petition (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT) calling for the notorious “dog-hunters” to be brought to justice.